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24 © Hasan and Airaksinen 2016 | The Role of Energy
towards different levels of automation in are not widely in existence in the energy
domestic control systems (Karjalainen, 2013). business (Sepponen and Heimonen, 2014).
Smart Energy Business for Service Providers Demonstration and Feasibility Studies
and End-Users
The performance of the proposed business
New actors and business models can evolve on a models and control strategies were tested in
district energy level. Business and service feasibility studies. A Multi-Commodity Gateway
concepts for Energy Hub systems are developed for the agent based control system was installed
to target end-users and energy service pro- in each of the buildings of a real district at
viders running practical actions in districts’ Tweewaters in Belgium and consisted of 106
energy business. An example of an energy dwellings and 9 commercial buildings. Four
brokering service model is shown in Figure 3. other cases were studied by simulations: Frei-
Business concepts are presented in cookbook burg (Germany), Bergamo (Italy), Hounthaven
form – a collection of 13 business and service (the Netherlands), and Dalian (China).
model recipes. The concepts describe the key
idea, interactions between the seller and the The project was covered in a long list of
buyer, key performance indicators measuring publications, which can be found on the pro-
its success, and costs and benefits. They are ject’s webpages http://www.e-hub.org/docu
based on stakeholders’ interviews on the energy ments.html. A sample of the publications related
demand and supply needs (Virtanen et al., to thermal energy storage and control of district
2014). The concepts are kept simple, and the heating and power are Bozzo et al., (2012);
focus is on one stakeholder. Single business Cuypers et al., (2012); Booij et al., (2013); Elci et
concept elements can be combined into broader al., (2013); De Ridder and Coomans (2014);
and more specific business and service models Ferrari et al., (2014); Koene et al., (2014).
and networks.
The “E-Hub: Energy-Hub for Residential and
Commercial Districts and Transport” project is
jointly funded by the European Commission
through the Seventh Framework Programme
(FP7)- under the specific programme “Cooper-
ation” in the Energy-efficient Buildings initia-
tive. Project’s duration 1 Dec. 2010- 1 Dec.
2014.
Figure 3: Business concept for an energy 4. Holistic Simulation and Optimization
broker buying and selling energy (Sepponen, of Energy Systems in Smart Cities Project
(CITYOPT)
2015)
The CITYOPT project http://www.cityopt.eu/
Many of the business concepts are based on aims to optimize energy systems in smart cities.
energy consumers and producers having a The project will create a set of tools,
certain amount of flexibility available in their applications, and related guidelines that
energy demand and supply (Figure 4). Flexi- support efficient planning, detailed design, and
bility is a new aspect of the energy market and a operation of energy systems in urban districts.
commodity that is used to create new business The project addresses energy system
concepts. In general, parts of the proposed optimization in different life-cycle phases. This
business concepts are easily feasible today, will be supported by a user-centred design
while others require new actors and roles that approach (Figure 5). All stakeholders, including
city decision makers, facility managers, and
citizens, are involved throughout all phases of
the project.
Science Target Inc. www.sciencetarget.com
